| Pedestrian An artistic work about urban life. |
| Self_Sufficientish Information on growing plants, wild food recipes, and alternatives to lead a low impact urban life. |
| Better_Homes_&_Gardens Ideas and improvement projects for your home and garden plus recipes and entertaining ideas. |
| Better_Homes_and_Gardens_Australia Site provides offers items from both the weekly television show and monthly magazine. |
| Coastal_Living_Magazine Features articles on homes, decorating, travel, food and living in coastal communities. |
| Country_Home_Magazine Country lifestyle magazine with features covering antiques, decorating, weekend projects, travel, food and gardening. |
| Country_Living_Magazine Features include home decorating, recipes and antiques and collectibles. |
| Good_Housekeeping_Magazine Trusted online source for advice about food, diet and nutrition, women's health and the home. Features the expertise of the Good Housekeeping Institute. |
| Home_and_Family_Books New and noteworthy titles from Time Warner Bookmark. |
| Homes_and_Gardens_Magazine Features beautiful houses and gardens, decorating ideas, designers and decorators, unusual shops. Includes subscription information, and a range of articles online. |
| HomeStore_com__Home_&_Garden Decorating ideas, do it yourself home improvement, online shopping, garden advice and cooking recipes. |
| iVillage__Home_and_Garden Decorating and gardening tools, ideas, and resources. |
| Martha_Stewart_Living Official site, with links to personal information, Martha's Scrapbook, television highlights, radio guide, virtual studio, recipes, live chat. |
| Mother_Earth_News Features and articles covering sustainable, self-reliant living. Topics include building, gardening, homesteading, do-it-yourself, kitchen, energy and health. |
| Natural_Home_Magazine Offers today's health-conscious, environmentally concerned homeowners information needed to practice earth-inspired living. |
| The_New_York_Times__Home_&_Garden Daily features and articles covering decorating, gardening, families and parenting. |
| Pioneer_Thinking Features articles on gardening, cooking, crafts, personal finance, and beauty. |
| Real_Simple Magazine about simplifying your life. Includes home solutions, meals, special features. |
| SFGate_com__Home_and_Garden Daily features and articles from the San Francisco Chronicle covering decorating, entertaining, gardening, and family life. |
| South_Carolina_Homes_&_Gardens Companion website to the print magazine offering articles on homemaking, decorating, gardening, homebuilding, and antiques. Information on subscribing and advertising, and current articles. |
| Southern_Accents_Online Features about fine interiors, gardens, design, antiques, travel, events, and the arts. |
| Southern_Living_Online Online version of popular magazine, with features on travel and vacations, gardens and design, homes and interiors, and foods and hospitality. |
| Sunset_Magazine_and_Books News and feature articles on Western living. |
| The_Washington_Post__Home_&_Garden Daily features and articles covering decorating, home improvement, gardening, pets and family life. |
| Mother_Earth_News_Latest_Headlines Features and articles covering sustainable, self-reliant living. [RSS] |
| Acme_How_To Articles on tasks and repairs around the home and garden. |
| Be_Jane_-_The_First_Women\'s_Home_Improvement_Resource_and_Community_Online The first women's home improvement resource and community for DIY projects, home repair, painting, plumbing, electrical, how-to's, Ask Jane help, ideas, inspiration and more! |
| Dave\'s_Shop_Talk We have articles and plans for the do it yourself person on home renovations, home improvement and home repair from a construction expert. |
| Do-It-Yourself_For_Less Weekend projects, interesting solutions to everyday problems, and crafty ideas turn any home décor from drab to fab. |
| eHow Provides concise how-to articles over a broad range of topics. |
| Grouting_and_Setting_Ceramic_Tile Complete instructions on Grouting and Setting Ceramic Tile.Color selection, correct methods of installation.Complete list of proper tools needed. |
| How_to_Do_Things Directory that provides a wide variety of do-it-yourself tips and tutorials. |
| How_to_Get_Rid_of_Things A broad spectrum of humorous articles focusing on pest control, stain removal, bad smells, health problems, computer repair and a host of other domestic topics. |
| Lowe\'s__How_to_Library Has how to advice on a variety of home maintenance projects, along with an advertisement to buy a more comprehensive book. |
| Michael_Holigan\'s_How_to_Library A keyword searchable, comprehensive site that consists of scripts from Michael Holigan's how to show, along with shopping links for supplies and project plans. |
| Mr__Fixit! Small engine enthusiast Chuck Kichline provides information on lawnmower repair, electrical motor and battery charger refurbishing, and home appliance repairs and modifications. Advice and photos. |
| On_the_House Provides a variety of money-saving tips on building, remodeling and repairing homes. |
| Practical_DIY UK-specific information. Small series of Do-It-Yourself home repair articles. |
| Simplitudes___Simple_Solutions_for_Everything Simple home made solutions, based on folklore and common sense. |
| UABill_Sez Advice section to help troubleshoot, maintain, or better understand appliances. |
Earth SmartSM Urban Living 
This duplex was the cornerstone of an 18-unit high-density urban development in Portland, Oregon (Photo: Mike O'Brien) When most people picture an "environmental" house, they see a spacious natural setting with trees, hills and lots of green. However, most people live in urban areas, where green is not the dominant color. Nevertheless, homes with certified environmental credentials are springing up in cities around the country. Portland, Oregon, is a metropolitan area known for environmental concern that shows in its land use regulations. For more than 20 years, local governments have promoted higher population density as a way to make more efficient use of expensive urban services, such as roads, sewers and mass transit. Those goals are getting a boost from Portland General Electric's Earth Smart Program. In addition to building typical detached single-family homes, Earth Smart is helping make urban living more environmentally friendly. Two unique projects are City Life and the Belmont Dairy. City Life Normally a 40,000 sq. ft. parcel in southeast Portland would have been subdivided into eight lots averaging 5,000 sq. ft. with a single-family house on each lot. Instead, a coalition of local groups, including home builders, real estate professionals, architects and a community development group, collaborated on a project that squeezed 18 residential units into the same space. The project is called City Life. Portland General Electric (PGE) sold the site to project developers at 10 percent below market value. Then PGE's Earth Smart program provided technical assistance to improve energy and resource efficiency. 
The finished project contains six two-story townhouse units, 10 two- and three-story courtyard units and one duplex. All the units meet PGE's Good Cents efficiency requirements. However, the duplex went considerable further to exceed Oregon's strict building code by 40 percent. To achieve its impressive efficiency, the duplex was built with foam core panels for the walls and roof, and triple-glazed windows with low-emissivity coatings. Compact6 fluorescent lighting complements the extensive daylighting designed into the spaces. The duplex also included some earth-friendly features. Carpets contain material from recycled plastic bottles. Paints are non-toxic. Landscaping uses only native plants. Storm water stays on-site in dry wells instead of connecting to the nearby storm sewer. 
The urban setting puts the project within walking distance of an elementary school, a park and major bus lines. The emphasis on alternative transportation is reflected in the lack of garages. Automobiles are hidden from view behind City Life in an adjacent alley. Without garages, the units tend to be short on storage space, which is one of the few complaints of tenants. Belmont Dairy When the Carnation Dairy closed its doors in 1990, schools and homes lost a local source of milk and ice cream. At the same time, the neighborhood gained a post-industrial eyesore. The complex of five buildings--80,000 sq. ft. in all--deteriorated rapidly. The site now houses 26,000 sq. ft. of ground floor retail space and 85 Earth Smart apartments. The project is a successful example of mixing residential and retail uses in a densely-packed, inner-city neighborhood. "What we're building here is the future of urban in-fill housing," says Douglas Obletz, president of The Belmont Partnership. "We're creating higher-density, environmentally friendly housing that enhances the neighborhood." With the support of PGE staff and consultants, the project also made major strides on the environmental side. Roughly half of the existing buildings were retained, despite the need to reinforce aging brick walls to meet modern seismic requirements. Demolition debris was carefully sorted for recycling. Much of the material, especially brick and massive wood beams, were reused in the Belmont project itself. The energy use of the residential units meets PGE's Good Cents requirements. In addition to high insulation levels and air tightening, huge windows and open spaces bring natural light into the units. Sixty-six of the 85 apartments are targeted to people earning 60 percent of the median income. These one- and two-bedroom units rent for $450 to $550. The remaining units are market-rate lofts renting for up to $1,300. The affordable units are made possible with special financing from Fannie Mae, the Network for Affordable Housing and local governments. Earth Smart Earth Smart homes can be any size or shape. In fact, most projects are suburban homes typical in today's construction market. To get started, the builder fills out a worksheet to select the house's earth-friendly features. A point system allows flexibility to choose features in three key areas: health, resource efficiency and environmental responsibility. Energy features must meet Good Cents requirements. Program participants receive a printed resource guide and the assistance of consultants to identify techniques and select materials. The program offers blower door testing to promote effective air sealing in the building and ductwork. Earth Smart operates separate programs for residential and commercial projects. Since the program started in August 1995, the program approved 418 single-family homes and 350 multifamily units. In addition, more than 650 projects are under construction. For more information on Earth Smart, call 800-722-9287. This article appeared in Energy Source Builder #50 April 1997, ©Copyright 1997 Iris Communications, Inc. 
All Oikos pages copyright 1996 - 2008, Iris Communications, Inc. 